The Stargazers: Smiley in the coffee (1)
thumb|700pxOnce upon a time there was a small city in Eledus called Exup which relied on its diviners, especially its astrologers. When suddenly the night is replaced by an eternal summer day none can tell the future anymore. Two people are found guilty: John, the only astronomer of Exup and Harald, the head of the astrologers. Together they must find a way to bring back the night and clean their names. A smile or a skull? “Astrologers warn: go to tarot readers due predicted bad weather.” You didn’t need do be a diviner to see that the carpet of grey in the sky was ready to drop an uzzling amount of water. John shifted in his chair. He nearly knocked his coffee over in the process and got butter on his newspaper, but the astronomer couldn’t care less. It was not his newspaper and the coffee tasted horrible today. If he would have believed in the words of the wizard wannabees he would have taken the bad coffee as an horrible omen. Now, he only took it as a sign that he needed to look at his coffee maker. Fate was faced right on. Yet the astronomer hated it more to get wet than trusting upon those ozly, wozly stargazers and as the astrologers relied on a clear night sky they were also responsible for the weather forecast. There was not much else in the newspaper. Other subjects were “Bicycles and capes: why a bad idea?” and “How to tell your customer that you’re a diviner, not a miracle worker?” Boring city, Exup. Many years ago the citizens were surprised really badly, resulting in the wish to never be surprised again. Even gifts were wrapped in transparent paper from that day forward. ‘Good afternoon, John! Did you sleep well with all the noise the crystal ball gazers were making this morning?’ Well, if it wasn’t the only person in this town who appreciated John’s work? The astronomer sent his mayor a genuine smile and a good afternoon too. Midas was looking around. He seemed to have lost something, but forget what exactly he was missing. One of those moments. ‘Do we still have coffee?’ Midas asked, giving up on his quest to find the thing he forget about. ‘Yeah, but I recommend the tea. This stuff is horrible.’ ‘Due to your coffee make skills or the coffee itself?’ Midas teased as he took the coffee pot. ‘His skills. Definitely his skills,’ said a third. It was Harald, the head of the astrologers and already fully dressed. It was two o’clock in the afternoon, for Dru’s sake! After a night of star gazing John never understood the urge of the famous astrologer to look that fancy for “breakfast”. ‘Harald,’ John greeted the man without much enthusiasm. Really? He even wore the belt? Would be funny if Harald sat down on of his set squares. Or just on anything pointy. The belt was made of black leather with rubies and topazes hung up with everything an astrologer needed to do his job. And more. Blunted pencils, worn out gums, knuckled set squares, a bent ruler, a distorted pendant, some bird feathers, a pocket book with astrological numbers, a few extra rings to add more stuff and some of those jingle things belly dancers also wore on their outfit. Why? Don’t ask. ‘John. Good afternoon, my good man!’ the head of the astrologer greeted his housemate with too much enthusiasm solely to get on John’s nerve. ‘I sometimes do think I have two children,’ Midas sighed while putting the coffee pot upside down above the sink. After that he brewed some new. ‘It’s not my fault that Harald is a know-it-all,’ John defended himself. ‘And it’s not my fault that John is the most useless person in town,’ Harald sneered while making breakfast. John hit him with the newspaper. With the buttery side of the newspaper. Before Harald could curse him for everything he hadn’t been able to predict Midas put the coffee pot in between them. ‘Stop it, both of you. What are you? Twelve? Act your age, men, because I believe you both passed the thirty years ago,’ Midas said annoyed. Just another afternoon breakfast with these two. When would he learn to keep out of their bickering? He took a cup and poured some coffee. ‘John is important for this town. He discovers new celestial bodies for you, makes sure that your calculations are correct and so on,’ said Midas. He took a sip. John saw the mayor’s face turn into something horribly before he put the coffee away. ‘It’s the coffee to blame,’ Midas huffed. He stood up to get some water. ‘That a first time it isn’t John’s fault.’ ‘Harald, what’s wrong with that stuff?’ ‘I’m your astrologer, not your coffee supplier,’ Harald said as he took the cup, poured the leftovers in the sink and stared into the coffee grounds. ‘Predicting a bad harvest is in your line of work. The divinations of our coffee gazers can’t be trusted with such horrible stuff like this. Can you imagine the damage…’ ‘I know. I know. I also have to find another job if no-one dares to rely on the towns diviners, but is has been cloudy all week,’ Harald defended himself. ‘In that case you should go to John’s observatory. You remember that tall building which towers above the clouds. Third door to your right, all the way up.’ ‘No!’ both men said at the same time. ‘Your observatory is running on tax money, so it would be smart to keep me at your side, John Bauer. As for you, Harald: you’re the head of the astrologers, the most important diviners of Exup. I expect you to use all the sources you have to prevent unhappy surprises,’ Midas boomed. ‘So what do you see in that cup?’ ‘Coffee ground and more coffee ground. I’ve always been horrible at tasseography. Can’t even see the difference between a skull and a smiley,’ Harald admitted. ‘I guess this is a smiley.’ ‘Are you remembering what you came looking for in the kitchen in the first place, Midas?’ ‘Don’t change the subject, John.’ ‘I don’t…well, I do, but your wife is standing behind you with your glasses. Good afternoon, Eva.’ ‘Good afternoon, John. Harald, you have a customer waiting for you in the lobby. It’s that crazy merchant from last week again.’ ‘You heard the woman, men. Get to work,’ Midas said. ‘Technically Eva said that only Harald…’ ‘John!’ To be continued This story will continue in chapter 2: Cursed. Categorie:The Stargazers Categorie:The Stargazers: hoofdstukken Categorie:Mvs109